Photos

The Peony Pavilion tells a Chinese classical love story. Du Liniang has a dream in which she meets a young scholar and promises to marry him. When she wakes up, she yearns for her lover and falls ill; after a while she dies of lovesickness. The young scholar in her dream was Liu Mengmei, who later made his way to the capital to take the imperial examination. He meets Du Liniang's soul in Plum in Blossom Nunnery and agrees to help her return to life by reuniting her soul with her body. They are successful and live happily ever after. (http://www.abc-chinese.com/b00clapp.html)

This picture, taken at the Jiangsu Province Kun Opera, shows that Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei consummate their love in the Peony Pavilion.

Kunqu, a form of Chinese opera that originated in the district of Kunshan (by Suzhou), boasts a history of more than 600 years. It is the richest and most ancient of Chinese opera forms, with a continuous stage tradition unrivalled by any musical theater in the world. In 2001, it was recognized as a ‘Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’ by UNESCO.